Is Better Search Replace free?

Yes, Better Search Replace is free to use. It is available as a free plugin on WordPress.org.

How many websites use Better Search Replace?

Better Search Replace has 1.0M+ active installations as tracked by WordPress.org.

What are the best Better Search Replace alternatives?

Popular alternatives to Better Search Replace include Better Find and Replace – AI-Powered…, Search & Replace Everything – Quick and…, Search & Replace Everything by WPCode…. You can compare them side-by-side on our comparison pages.

Does Better Search Replace work with the latest WordPress?

Better Search Replace has been tested up to WordPress 6.9.4. It requires WordPress 3.0.1+ and PHP false+.

Is Better Search Replace well supported?

Better Search Replace has a 33% support resolution rate based on 3 recent support threads on WordPress.org.

PluginSift

Better Search Replace

Name: Better Search Replace
Rating: 4.3 (541 reviews)
Author: WP Engine

A simple plugin to update URLs or other text in a database.

By WP Engine·Search Replace·Free

4.3(541 reviews)

·1.0M+ active installs·Updated 3 months ago

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As of April 2026, Better Search Replace is a WordPress search replace plugin with 1.0M+ active installations and a 4.3/5 rating from 541 reviews. It has been downloaded 17M+ times in total. Requires WordPress 3.0.1+ and PHP false+. Available on WordPress.org since 2015. Download volume is stable this week. Support resolution rate: 33%. Top alternative: Better Find and Replace – AI-Powered….

4.3/5541 reviews

1.0M+active installs

33%resolved

11 yearssince 2015

Overview

When moving your WordPress site to a new domain or server, you will likely run into a need to run a search/replace on the database for everything to work correctly. Fortunately, there are several plugins available for this task, however, all have a different approach to a few key features. This plugin consolidates the best features from these plugins, incorporating the following features in one simple plugin:

Serialization support for all tables
The ability to select specific tables
The ability to run a “dry run” to see how many fields will be updated
No server requirements aside from a running installation of WordPress
WordPress Multisite support

Time-saving features available in the Pro version:

View exactly what changed during a search/replace

Backup and import the data…

Read full description on WordPress.org

Screenshots

Ratings & Reviews

4.3541 reviews

5 ★

430

4 ★

3 ★

2 ★

1 ★

Recent Reviews

Works But Limited

by urmirun·3 weeks ago

Used Better Search Replace while moving my site. It did the basic job fine & was easy to run. But some useful options are locked in Pro, which was a bit annoying. Still ok for quick replace tasks tho.

Works Pretty Well

by hakeemstone·1 month ago

Used it to update old URLs after site move. Did the job smooth, no big issue. UI is simple & easy to get. Saved a lot of time tbh. Would be 5 star if a bit faster on large DB, but still solid plugin 👍

Não utilize isso

by Juarez Meireles·1 month ago

Se você não quer passar raiva, fique longe deste plugin. Instalei para somente para alterar alguns links de saída que haviam em postagens de cupons e produtos Woo. Ele realmente fez o trabalho. Troucou. Porém, bagunçou tudo no banco de dados com coisas que não tinha nada relacionado à estes links.
Todos os botões de saída do site, independente do url de saída, ficaram com um mesmo url que nunca foi inserido no plugin. Trocou a descrição de todas as categorias para um mesmo texto que era o texto de uma das lojas que sou parceiro(dealstore).
Se ele alterasse só o que solicitamos, era maravilhoso. Mas ele alterou foi tudo. O pior é que só percebi 10 dias depois. Agora é trabalhar vários dias para recuperar os valores reais em diversos campos.
Mas tirando esse bug, o plugin é bom.

Very Good tool

by KeithRowley·2 months ago

I’ve done the job before, migrating a site to a new url. This made the job easier and presented no false steps or problems. Thank you.

This topic was modified 2 months, 3 weeks ago by KeithRowley.

Don’t use the Better Search & Replace free version. It is useless

by andyrogers·3 months ago

This is about the free version of this plug.

I tried Better Search Replace to change a couple of words on the website. It left me hanging, neither completing the process nor enabling me to restore my site. It deliberately did not change the menu items and asked me to buy their paid version to complete the replacement. Hiding the facts from the free users was dishonest, and I had to restore the website.
The plug developer should tell users upfront what would happen if it were used for free.

However, I completed the job using their competitor’s plug in that replaced EVERYTHING.

Th BSR plugin should be removed from this website because it offers incomplete job and a disservice to the free users. It should not be promoted on this site for free to attract buyers, while hunting for those who use it for free to force them buy it.

They should understand that offering a free version is the price they pay for their plugin to be promoted to the broad market.